Public recipe with member extras
Traditional Rice Water Hair Rinse
This is the only true fermentation recipe in the entire book, and it's included specifically because fermentation changes rice water's chemistry in a meaningful way: the process increases the concentration of amino acids, vitamins, and antioxidants compared to plain rice water, which is why traditional rice-water hair rinsing (documented for centuries across East and Southeast Asia) specifically favors the fermented version.
- Prep
- 10 Minutes (+ 12–24 Hours Fermentation)
Natural Beauty Recipes · Rice Milk · Hair & Scalp Care
What you need
Ingredients
- Phase A (Grain & Extraction Phase)
- ½ cup (100g) Uncooked Organic White or Jasmine Rice
- 2 cups (480 mL) Distilled Water
- Phase B (Aromatic / pH Adjuster)
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) Fresh Lemon Juice or Citrus Peel
Method
Instructions
- Rinse uncooked rice under cold running water in a fine strainer to remove surface dust.
- Place cleaned rice into a glass jar and add 2 cups of distilled water. Swirl and knead rice gently with clean hands until the water turns milky white.
- Strain rice solids out, reserving the liquid.
- Cover the jar loosely and let the reserved rice water sit at room temperature (20°C–22°C) for 12 to 24 hours to ferment slightly.
- Once a faint sour aroma develops, stir in citrus peel/lemon juice, cap tightly, and refrigerate to stop fermentation.
- APPLICATION
- After shampooing, pour fermented rice water over wet scalp and hair lengths.
- Massage scalp for 3 minutes and distribute evenly down hair shafts.
- Leave on for 5–10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with cool water.
From The Big Book of Milk & Garden Beauty: 156 Natural Recipes for Skin & Hair Using Alternative Milks & Everyday Pantry Ingredients by Aunesty Janssen
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